Tattooed mantis shrimp shed light on powerful battles

Mantis shrimp communicate with coloured patches on their
bodies that are invisible to human eyes, an Australian researcher has found.

Mantis shrimp have the most complex visual systems that we
know of. They can see UV, infrared and polarised light. Scientists have long
thought that they use this vision for colour-based communication but there has
been no way to test the idea.

Dr. Amanda Franklin and her colleagues at Tufts University
in the USA hit upon the idea of using an ultrafast laser to ‘tattoo’ mantis
shrimp.

“Using this technique, we have shown that these
UV-reflecting coloured patches are used to signal strength. We have evidence
suggesting that mantis shrimp with darker patches are stronger than those with
lighter patches.”

Mantis shrimp often fight one another, and they can strike their opponent with the acceleration of a .22 calibre bullet! The shrimp may use the coloured patches to assess their opponent’s strength before battle begins.

Image: A stomatopod in the lab at Tufts University. Credit: Amanda Franklin

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